Fullmetal Alchemist won the TV Feature Award in the 9th Animation Kobe Awards and was one of the Jury Recommended Works in the 2004 Japan Media Arts Festival in the anime division.
As the manga was still on-going at the time, the anime midway through diverged from the manga. This led to it having an anime-only ending, unlike Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood which would air years later.
On July 31, 2016, FUNimation Entertainment's license to the series expired.